blog – Sime Curkovic Ph.D.

Python is coming to Excel?!…

Wow, as a supply chain professor that pushes data analytics on our students, I am trying to make sense of this. I suspect this is going to be a VERY big deal for our CIS faculty and students as they have been waiting for this kind of support for…2 decades? While Excel is powerful, it hasn’t provided “native” tools for adv analytics like ML. By integrating Python — a language...

Is a graduate certificate in supply chain management right for me? WMU Graduate Certificate Program in Supply Chain Management, details:

Is a graduate certificate in supply chain management right for me? https://lnkd.in/gcu8E2UN. WMU Graduate Certificate Program in Supply Chain Management, details: https://lnkd.in/gY_ijCMJ. Organizations are seeking solutions to global supply chain challenges and risks that require expert tools. As a professional, you can develop your supply chain and strategic decision-making acumen with a graduate certificate in supply chain management. You'll elevate your expertise in strategic sourcing, transportation management, processes, and data analytics to...

Secretary Miguel A. Cardona called college rankings “a joke,” & took aim at selective colleges’ obsession w/ them. From me: Pay attention to what matters most- maybe not rankings…especially at the undergrad level.

More rankings…These Michigan colleges were ranked (congrats!): Albion College, Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Hillsdale College, Kalamazoo College, Kettering University in Flint, Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, & University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2023/08/these-9-michigan-colleges-are-among-the-best-in-the-us-princeton-review-ranking-says.html. From me: if you are a student majoring in something, but your school is not on some list, do not worry about it! I am 99.9% certain that you are still getting a...

Should college grads negotiate a higher starting salary? Maybe, learn to negotiate.

Should college grads negotiate a higher starting salary? https://lnkd.in/gMJYNJkh. Maybe, learn to negotiate. Every WMU Supply Chain major now has to take: Global Negotiation…The fastest growing class at WMU. Thank you Dr. James Eckert! See his one page cheat sheet at: https://lnkd.in/dhKzxnAX. Almost 1/2 of U.S. employees do not feel confident in their negotiation skills… > 40% don’t feel confident in their negotiation skills, while a 1/4 admit to never having negotiated...

Secretary Miguel A. Cardona called college rankings “a joke,” & took aim at selective colleges’ obsession w/ them…I have been talking to high schoolers & the parents also appear to be too focused on rankings.

Secretary Miguel A. Cardona called college rankings “a joke,” & took aim at selective colleges’ obsession w/ them…https://lnkd.in/gv_vZ4k9. I have been talking to high schoolers & the parents also appear to be too focused on rankings. Pay attention to what matters most- not rankings!…especially at the undergrad level. (Yes, I still wish my school was ranked higher). UM & MSU ranked very well, congrats to them. https://lnkd.in/gEdxVxM7 “Other Michigan universities that...

Is Python a must-have skill in the supply chain? How much Python do I need? I had a manager ask:

Is Python a must-have skill in the supply chain? https://lnkd.in/dcEJuZJX. How much Python do I need? https://lnkd.in/e6Rmzpw. I had a SCM professional ask: “I don’t even know basic python yet . I want to get to the more advanced items but I am not ready yet . I’ve done research into different courses but there are so many basic courses, I’m not sure which one is actually useful for someone looking to...

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) has many applications. A quick job search on LinkedIn shows > 30,000 jobs in supply chain where RISK is a major job function.

FMEA has many applications. A quick job search on LinkedIn shows > 30,000 jobs in supply chain where RISK is a major job function. Also, in our program we try to teach SCRiskM w/i the context of faculty research streams such as ISO 31000, COSO’s Enterprise Risk Management Framework, FMEA (as a SCRM tool), etc. For a great slide deck on Failure Mode and Effects Analysis: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/industrialknowledge_fmea-training-presentation-activity-7089567484483166209-jqCj?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop For free copies...

Google claims it has developed a revolutionary quantum computer that is able to make “instant” calculations, & that current supercomputers would take roughly 47 years to complete these calculations. Also, Intel Announces Its Newest Silicon-Based Quantum Chip…

McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2023 (see #10): https://lnkd.in/gXM-6-RX. Quantum Computers: Another incremental step or innovation leap? Google claims it has developed a revolutionary quantum computer that is able to make “instant” calculations, & that current supercomputers would take roughly 47 years to complete these calculations. https://lnkd.in/g_evdgaK. Also, Intel Announces Its Newest Silicon-Based Quantum Chip: https://lnkd.in/gfC6-idR Notice the reference to Supply Chain Management…”for certain applications, such as artificial intelligence, LOGISTICS planning, chemical simulation and...

Employers: WMU Supply Chain & Food Marketing Career Fair is Oct. 9th. EVERY student from every university is welcome to attend. Let the best student win.

Employers: WMU Supply Chain & Food Marketing Career Fair is Oct. 9th. Register at: https://lnkd.in/gDKmPWuu. EVERY student from every university is welcome to attend. Let the best student win. WMU Supply Chain and Food Marketing Career Night Fall 2023 (In Person)Monday, October 9th 2023, 5:00 pm — 8:00 pm EDTZhang Career Center, Haworth College of BusinessFetzer Center, 2350 Business Court, Kalamazoo, MI 49008 It still sounds like a seller’s market (not...

Common theme: BIG DATA is not going away, BUT one must understand why/when certain data formats create more value. Many of our supply chain students get a minor in Business Analytics & we actually teach a variant of Wide/Small data called Association Analysis (our Business Data Mining class).

Common theme: BIG DATA is not going away, BUT one must understand why/when certain data formats create more value. Many of our supply chain students get a minor in Business Analytics & we actually teach a variant of Wide/Small data called Association Analysis (our Business Data Mining class). See Top 10 Technology Trends from APICS/ASCM:Sime Curkovic on LinkedIn: Common theme year after year: BIG DATA is not going awayCommon theme:...